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Dainese, the Italian action-sports gear manufacturer is known for its Motorcycle safety apparel. The gear maker has deep roots in motorcycling, snow, bicycle and equestrian sports.
Now, Dainese is collaborating with MIT in a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts project to develop a Biosuit for astronauts. The goal is to create a suit that provides the necessary pressurization of the body without the added bulk and subsequent lack of mobility that is common with the current air-filled spacesuits.
ESA was impressed with the Biosuit, but they had a slightly different need they wanted to tackle. Astronauts were coming home from space and needing to spend several days in a wheelchair because of herniating discs due to the elongation of the spine that occurs without the effects of gravity on the body. They gave Dainese their data and helped facilitate further collection from more time spent in space, and they asked Dainese to come up with a fix.
The resulting Skinsuit, while not as fancy -looking as the Biosuit, is actually a super cool piece of tech. The bulk of the suit is made from a four-way elastic stretch material, while the upper section is rigid. The suit compresses from shoulders to feet to re-create the effects of gravity on the body.
The positions of those lines are custom to the owner of the suit, and are determined based on studies from the ESA on the optimal placement.
Dainese hopes the ongoing project will be completed in time for the first human mission to Mars, which, according to the US national space policy, may happen by the mid-2030s.
News Source: This Motorcycle Gear Company Is Making Space Suits For The First Human Mission To Mars
Now, Dainese is collaborating with MIT in a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts project to develop a Biosuit for astronauts. The goal is to create a suit that provides the necessary pressurization of the body without the added bulk and subsequent lack of mobility that is common with the current air-filled spacesuits.
ESA was impressed with the Biosuit, but they had a slightly different need they wanted to tackle. Astronauts were coming home from space and needing to spend several days in a wheelchair because of herniating discs due to the elongation of the spine that occurs without the effects of gravity on the body. They gave Dainese their data and helped facilitate further collection from more time spent in space, and they asked Dainese to come up with a fix.
The resulting Skinsuit, while not as fancy -looking as the Biosuit, is actually a super cool piece of tech. The bulk of the suit is made from a four-way elastic stretch material, while the upper section is rigid. The suit compresses from shoulders to feet to re-create the effects of gravity on the body.
The positions of those lines are custom to the owner of the suit, and are determined based on studies from the ESA on the optimal placement.
Dainese hopes the ongoing project will be completed in time for the first human mission to Mars, which, according to the US national space policy, may happen by the mid-2030s.
News Source: This Motorcycle Gear Company Is Making Space Suits For The First Human Mission To Mars
